Saturday, August 28, 2010

Want a Personalized, Original Song for Your Outdoor Wedding Day?

If your creativity and originality have inspired you to plan an outdoor wedding celebration that will be completely personal and unique, chances are you won't want to hire the same DJ or band everyone in town books for their wedding. And you won't want to hear the same tired tunes, either. Well, believe it or not, there's a way for you to have a song tailored specifically for you and your wedding: Launch a song contest!

MusikPitch is a Nashville-based service that allows you to set your own price and collaborate with songwriters all over the world in order to come up with your ideal wedding song. Songwriters can also post their own compositions for review on the Web site. This custom songwriting service makes a great engagement or bridal shower gift or a one-of-a-kind surprise from the bride to the groom or vice versa. Each song contest usually lasts up to 14 days, and the result is a unique, original song with all the right sentiments: one you can be sure no other couple will be dancing to!

Sunday, August 01, 2010

Grooms in Jeans: A Trend or a Travesty?

You've got your heart set on a gorgeous pin-striped Gucci three-piece for your groom, but he wants to wear his tuxedo T-shirt. You've got 5 million other things to worry about. What's a bride to do?

Believe it or not, celebrities like Harrison Ford, who donned Wranglers for his outdoor nuptials to Calista Flockhart, are setting a new, more casual fashion trend in outdoor wedding attire that has some definite potential: jeans for the groom. When done right, denim as wedding attire can complement your outdoor wedding in ways you might never have expected. When done wrong, however—as we will soon see—jeans can be a bit of a distraction. To help you out, here are a few groomsmen who hit the nail on the head, and a few others who weren't even working on the same building!

Grooms in Jeans: Looks We Like

Look 1: These guys have it! They're pairing their denim with fancier vests, shirts and caps that give them an art-school edge. Jeans complement the look rather than detract from it. Be sure your guy buys the right fit, though—some of these grooms look a little on the uncomfortable side!

Look 2: Jewel and her husband, who is an actual rodeo cowboy, have used denim in the best way possible. It contributes to the overall style of the ceremony itself—not to mention that a Western-style wedding on the beach is incredibly romantic!

Look 3: If all the groomsmen can be persuaded to wear jeans—and, let's face it, most of them probably wouldn't say "no"—the look can actually be very uniform and classy. Just make sure their shirts and jackets are corresponding, and nobody wears denim of a different wash.

Grooms in Jeans: Looks We Loathe

Look 1: Whew! Thank goodness this is just a Halloween costume! But, for the record, a groom in jeans and a groom in overalls are two very different creatures. Jeans can be classy, but overalls are just too casual.

Look 2: This is an example of color coordination taken way too far! Your groom's outfit should not look like a jumpsuit. (Besides, how likely is it that he'll keep all that white garb clean if you're marrying outdoors?) You also may want to gently suggest your groom rethink the Native American feathers and arm bands on your big day.

Look 3: We're all for expressing individuality here, but the groom in the second photo is a little much! If you and your groom are going to take the denim plunge, he should find a pair without holes in them. Remember, there's a line between casual and too casual. If you can integrate denim while sprucing it up with other accents (such as clean shoes!), then you'll be set to go.